What’s left to say about Italian cooking? And do we really need another “I moved to Italy and it’s so wonderful” book on our shelves? My answers are: “Plenty” and “I think so, yes.” In the fall of 2001, my wife, three children, and I moved to Italy. Our four-month sabbatical forever changed the arc of our lives.

A few years later, we settled in Gaiole-in-Chianti, a small village of 2,750 souls about an hour south of Florence in the heart of Chianti Classico wine country. Like most “stranieri,” we came for the food, wine, art, and culture. But we’ve stayed because of the people.